episode_0045

After completing the missions handed down from above, John’s daily life was quiet.

He shares affection with Francia, and is surrounded by female officers at the official residence, exchanging silly jokes.

I had a really uneventful day.

The Crown Prince, who was interfering with the relationship between John and Francia, was tied up and unable to move for the time being.

Cassis Lenokhonen escaped execution through trial, but was stripped of all authority and rights, becoming a fallen nobleman with Lenokhonen in name only.

Grand Duke Lenokhonen was unable to do anything about it at the moment, so he had to leave Cassis alone, and as a result, there has been no news of him since then.

Violet Ratale, who had been clinging to Johan so messily, started avoiding him at some point.

There can only be peace.

News of Rudela was occasionally delivered through the Crown Prince, and I heard that she had not come out of her dazed state for several days.

It wasn’t like she had ever called John on a mission. It was only a month since the last mission, so that was to be expected.

“Harsen Special Wizard.”

As Johan sat down to deal with miscellaneous paperwork, the vice-captain, Richard, came to see him in person.

“Vice-captain? What’s going on?”

It was rare for him to come to see him in person, let alone other knights, so John’s expression hardened slightly.

“You should go to the manager’s office.”

“…To the office?”

“Yes. It is an imperial mission.”

Imperial mission.

It was a top priority mission that had to be handled immediately by imperial command, incomparable to special missions and designated missions.

“Okay, I’ll go right away.”

“Yes.”

Richard headed to the office first, and Johan stood up from his seat, putting aside the papers he was working on.

“…It’s not dangerous, is it?”

Francia, who had been quietly eavesdropping from the side, grabbed Johan’s sleeve with a worried expression on her face.

“I can’t guarantee since this is your first imperial mission… but it shouldn’t be that dangerous. If it were really dangerous enough to warrant an imperial order, all the civil servants would have been mobilized.”

John patted Francia’s worried forehead once and smiled.

“Yeah… I hope it’s nothing serious.”

Francia’s stiff expression softened as she felt relieved at the sight of his touch and smile.

“I’ll be back.”

Johan followed Richard, who was waiting in the hallway.

“Vice-Captain, if a mission comes down from the imperial palace, it must be a big deal. Do you know what it is?”

On the way to the office, John asked.

“It’s just an imperial edict, it’s not that big of a deal. It could just be the whim of the royal family.”

Imperial missions varied. They involved going to find special materials, escorting them on their journeys, etc. Most of them were menial missions.

“…That’s fortunate.”

John, who had been slightly nervous at the imperial edict, relaxed his stiff face.

“Come in.”

Click.

The door to the office opened. Johan entered with a shaky expression. Fedelian greeted him with a wrinkled face.

“You’re here.”

“I heard it was the Emperor’s order.”

“Yeah, that’s a really lame imperial edict.”

Fedelian seemed familiar with these imperial orders. I didn’t know what it was, but I could tell from the look on his face that it was a trivial matter.

“An imperial mission given to the Harsen Special Magician by the Third Princess, Lariana Rosino.”

Fedelian slammed the document down on the desk with a tired expression.

“He told me to come to the Diamond Palace right now and enjoy tea time with him.”

“… … .”

John was speechless for a moment. Tea time? It seemed as if he had to accept such a trivial task in the name of an imperial mission.

“…Is that all an imperial mission is?”

“Just that? It’s clearly an imperial mission.”

Although he said that, Fedelian agreed with John’s words to some extent.

“He’s my younger brother, but he’s always so quirky that you can’t read his mind. I think you should be the one dealing with him. He seems to be interested in the fame of being a Harsen Special Wizard.”

John frowned slightly at those words. It wasn’t a good thing to be receiving attention from the royal family.

You’re already getting a lot of attention from all over the place, so if you catch the eye of the Third Princess, you never know what might happen.

I didn’t want to create as many variables as possible until I got engaged to Francia, but I had no other choice. It didn’t make sense to refuse a mission that came down to me by imperial command.

“…Okay, can we leave right away?”

“Yeah. You must have had a hard time.”

If Fedelian, who always looks down on himself, says something like that, he might be involved in something quite bothersome.

“Then let’s go to the Diamond Palace.”

Fedelian didn’t answer, just nodded. Then he waved his hand. It was a sign that he should get out quickly.

John left the office. He returned to his seat to pack his bags before leaving for the Diamond Palace. Francia asked him with a nervous look on her face.

“What happened? What’s your mission?”

“It was nothing serious. Her Highness the Third Princess asked me to come enjoy tea time.”

“…Tea time? You gave me such a trivial task as an imperial mission?”

“Yes. After asking the vice-captain, it didn’t seem like such a strange thing.”

“Ah…”

Francia, who heard the mission details, blinked with a dumbfounded expression just like Johan.

“My worries are for naught… It’s both fortunate and absurd…?”

This must have been the first time for Francia, who had only recently entered the civil service. At best, she was only a few months earlier than Johan.

“You told me to come to the Diamond Palace right away, so I have to leave now. I’m sorry, but… you’ll have to leave work alone today.”

We always left work together, but I had to send her off first because I had to go to the palace and I didn’t know when the mission would end.

“…I can’t help it since I’ve been given a mission.”

Francia’s shoulders slumped at the thought of having to return to the mansion alone. She was now terribly lonely without him on her way home from work.

“And… I don’t know when I’ll be back, so if I’m going to be late, you’d better go to bed first.”

“Yes…”

“Please don’t be so lonely. It’s just for today.”

After saying that, John kissed Francia on the forehead and smiled.

“Huh…?”

Francia stared at John for a moment as if frozen, then turned her head away in a hurry. A blush spread across her face, turning her face bright red.

“Let’s go now.”

“…Yes. Take care and have a safe trip.”

John put on his outer garment and left the office.

To meet the Third Princess, Lariana Rosino.

* * *

The wheel stopped.

“Arrived.”

“Good work.”

John got out of the carriage and looked around.

As its name suggests, the Diamond Palace boasted a splendid brilliance like a jewel that held light.

The palace had columns made of marble, and diamond decorations were added to make the entire palace look like a shining fortress.

‘Wow. Is this the pinnacle of power?’

John continued walking.

The heart of the Diamond Palace was the inner garden, called the Garden of Splendor.

Every leaf and petal here sparkled like a jewel with magical powers, and a crystal bridge spanned the clear, transparent artificial pond.

The entire palace felt as if time had stopped and was immersed in a quiet, eternal light.

“Are you here?”

A soft voice broke the silence. When John turned his head, a servant was approaching through an elaborate wooden tunnel.

Her steps were quiet, but the elegance that surrounded her, combined with the splendor of the garden, captured the eye.

“Yes. Where is Her Highness the Princess?”

“Waiting in the Garden of Splendor.”

“Let’s go right now.”

“Yes.”

John entered the garden, guided by his servant.

Indeed, as expected of a place where the royal family resides, there was not a single place that was not managed.

White and silver flowers were in bloom. The gently swaying petals sparkled delicately, as if they were made from a mixture of silk and jewel powder.

A garden that is quiet and peaceful, yet at the same time of overwhelming beauty, offering the royal family a moment of noble solitude and meditation.

Perhaps because it was a palace with a long history, it was incomparable to the Topaz Palace I had seen when I went to see Rudelha before.

“Arrived.”

While John was busy looking around, he found himself inside.

“You’re here?”

A woman was seen sitting at the table, holding a cup of tea. John bowed his head urgently.

“Meet Her Royal Highness.”

It was his first meeting with the princess, who was not very close. Thinking that first impressions were important, Johan greeted her politely.

“You don’t have to be so rigid. I hate that kind of thing. If you’re obsessed with rules and order, you won’t be flexible, right?”

The Third Princess shrugged her shoulders and drew a line at the corner of her mouth. She was a rather light-hearted person, despite her radiance.

“Nice to meet you, Harsen Special Wizard. As you may know, I suppose it would be polite to introduce myself. I am the Third Princess Lariana Rosino. I am the heavenly being of the Empire.”

Only then was John able to properly look at the woman named Lariana Rosino.

Her blond hair was as dazzling as if woven from threads of sunlight, and her golden eyes made it immediately clear that she was of royal blood.

Her clear, beautiful skin and smile that softened even the surrounding air added to her elegance, and her every movement felt dignified and confident.

Her very presence seemed to overwhelm with a dazzling golden aura.

“Hmm, definitely. She deserves to be called the trophy of the high society. Perfect proportions and sculpted features. Clear and clean skin, sharp eyes, sharp nose…”

Lariana continued her comment, carefully examining every part of John’s face.

“Overall, it has a refreshing and sophisticated vibe. Should I say unrealistic beauty? There’s a reason why the young ladies of the high society are so dazzled by it.”

John bowed his head.

“I don’t know what to do with myself because of your compliments.”

“Isn’t that a compliment you hear all the time?”

“That’s right.”

“Yeah, a handsome man should be shameless.”

Lariana giggled. She seemed to like Johan just by looking at his face.

“Your Highness the Princess is also beautiful.”

John said. He rarely complimented a woman’s appearance, but he did not deny his honest impression.

The royal family, with their superior bloodline, are naturally beautiful, but Lariana stands out among them.

Lariana shrugged.

“I know, but I’ll say thank you.”

“… … .”

Her shameless and brazen attitude left John speechless for a moment.

“Oh, I made you stand too much. Sit down.”

“…Yes.”

John sat down cautiously across from Lariana. She looked at his face with calm, golden eyes, as if savoring it.

“Wow, he’s really handsome…”

And then he blurted out his honest feelings.

“Can’t you just smile once? I want to see a smile.”

“A smile… right?”

“Yeah, smile. I think it would be really nice if you smiled.”

I didn’t really feel like it, but it was a simple request, so… I guess it wouldn’t be a problem if I granted it. It’s just a smile.

“Okay, I understand. Just smile.”

As she requested, John smiled somewhat forcefully. The corners of his mouth went up, but his eyes were cold… It was that kind of smile.

“Wow… Even though it’s an artificial smile, it’s truly a work of art.”

Lariana let out an exclamation. Her golden eyes sparkled and pierced through John.

“It’s even more attractive when you see it up close like this.”

At her words, John sighed inwardly. It was clear that Lariana’s interest would not end with mere curiosity.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

John answered politely, hiding his emotions as best he could. Lariana smiled and spoke softly.

“Okay. Harsen Special Wizard?”

“Yes.”

Their eyes met. Lariana tilted her head slightly with a smile on her face. Her golden hair flowed gently.

“I like you. A lot.”